7.31.2010

It is often--perhaps usually--the case that I would rather sleep in my own bed, even if I have to drive a few hundred extra miles in the middle of the night to get there. But every once in a while, I love sleeping in other people’s beds. By which I mean, of course, that I like being a houseguest. Everyone has a different way of being gracious hostess, a particular way of adding the small touches to a room that make a guest feel that not only are they welcomed, but their visit was anticipated with delight. A vase full of fresh flowers. A carafe of ice water by the bed. A stack of unusual books. A bundle of lavender tucked into the corner of the bed frame where it meets the headboard. A fresh new bar of handmade soap.

I also like trying out different beds--modern and low-slung or old-fashioned four-poster. A few nights ago, on North Haven, I slept in what was referred to as “the boatman’s room”. The bed was so well worn that as soon as I got under the covers, the mattress sank into a cradle shape. I drifted off wondering about said boatman, why he had a room that was sequestered from the others, accessible by a private staircase up the outside. And I slept soundly.

My friend Judith, in Union, Maine, is an expert and gracious hostess. She has old quilts hung over the stair railings outside all the bedrooms, so that you can pile them on the bed if you get cold in the middle of the night. Judith always has interesting books in every room; she was quite clever to use these red chairs as bookcases. Even if I have some of the same books at home, they manage to look more intriguing on her shelves. There is something wonderful about roaming from pillow to pillow--and getting home refreshed, with a few new tricks of your own. Judy, my grandmother's quilts await your visit.

You cannot heat melamine plates/bowls in a microwave, because that’s wear the melamine can break down and leach toxins. My question is, if I reheat something on this plate for 20 seconds, it does not get that hot, so why is it safe to put these in a dishwasher where I know for a fact it gets heated more than my microwave???

Melamine dishware is often a combination of melanine and formaldehyde. Melamine is also suspected to be what contaminated pet food and caused kidney failure in so many pets last year. So, it’s not looking so good for melamine. And formaldehyde?? Well, that’s just not good either.FYI on Melamine from a green source.

"Melamine has also been found in our food supply. It is sometimes used as a protein source in food additives. The FDA says melamine is safe, but they were surprised by the pet food contamination, we also know they claim the safety of BPA, which we now know is not safe. So, in my opinion, they are not exactly a reliable source these days."

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